Symphony, bike fair join Teddy Bear Parade fun

37th edition kicks off at 10 a.m. Sept. 26

By Mara Stine

The Gresham Outlook, Sep 9, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

File photo / The Outlook

William Benoit, 9, of Gresham and other students from Dan Anderson Karate made for a visual contradiction — cute kids with cuddly Teddy bears packing a punch.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Anyone who’s ever been to Gresham’s Teddy Bear Parade knows it’s a signature event that’s hard to top.

Cute kids, cuddly stuffed animals, an old-fashioned community gathering: What more could you want?

Thanks to the cooperation of various local organizations and the completion of Gresham’s Center for the Arts Plaza, parade day on Saturday, Sept. 26, is about to become more fun-filled than ever.

A post-parade bike safety fair has expanded its scope to include skateboarders. And, the Columbia Symphony Orchestra’s annual Symphonic Safari coincides with parade day.

“Super Saturday” begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, with the parade presented by Soroptimists International of Gresham.

Immediately following the parade, children are encouraged to take their Teddy Bears to The Center for the Arts Plaza – located between Northeast Hood and Kelly avenues and Second and Third streets – for a Transportation Safety Fair.

For the past three years, it’s been held at East Hill Church, but fair manager Megan Braunsten (officially known as executive director of the Gresham Downtown Development Association, which hosts the safety fair with the city of Gresham) jumped at the chance to move it to Gresham’s living room.

As for broadening the safety fair’s audience, “With the skate park opening later this year, we wanted to branch out to all the kids who are active,” Braunsten said. Construction on the skate park, located just south of the Heroes Memorial on East Powell Boulevard and Roberts Avenue, starts this fall.

Multi-purpose helmets for bike and skateboard riding will be for sale at a bargain price of $6.55 as part of the Transportation Safety Fair. Or enjoy the skateboard demonstrations and bike races. And be sure to register to win a free bike. The event will end between 2 to 3 p.m.

Or join the “Teddy Bear Picnic,” with items such as elephant ears, hot dogs, jungle juice and tasty treats from Burgerville.

1 | 2 Next Page >>